Tales from a Shared Journey of Teaching and Researching Translanguaging

From 2017 to 2019, the first two authors, Zhongfeng and Elizabeth, and a team of researchers set off on a journey through four iterative cycles of infusing translanguaging into an undergraduate Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certificate program at a United States urban institution. Their goal was to learn how to prepare future teachers to teach for justice through translanguaging. In this paper the third author, Jessica, joined the team to conduct a critical narrative analysis of this journey. Our collaborative process enabled us to move beyond simply telling our stories toward critically analyzing the power structures and discourses present within them. Our co-constructed narrative highlights key implications for research and practice, and the critical meta-awareness that emerged for us. Lessons learned include openness to change, collaboration, purpose and direction, preparation, and evaluating progress. The authors hope that by sharing these components others may be more likely to succeed in their own journeys with teaching and researching translanguaging.